A view of a desert landscape in Utah.

Photo: Danita Delimont, courtesy of Shutterstok

Understanding Climate Change in Utah

Here and Now

The changing climate is changing Utah. The average temperature in Utah has increased more than 2.5° F since the beginning of the 20th century. Over the last 50 years, Utah temperatures have risen at about twice the global average. A few degrees increase may not sound like much, but a hotter climate in our region has many ripple effects. We’re already experiencing trends of increasing drought, wildfires, flash floods, and extreme heat waves. Often these ripples intersect and reinforce each other. Their impacts on our communities and our health can really add up.

Explore the Ways Utah's Climate has Changed

  • A historic photo of people ice skating on a frozen pond.

    Ice skaters once glided across Liberty Park Pond in Salt Lake City every winter. Due to warmer winter temperatures, skating hasn’t
    been permitted for safety reasons since the 1980s.

     Photo: Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society.

    Shorter, warmer winters

    Utah winters used to be longer. The average time between Salt Lake City’s first freeze in the fall and last freeze in the spring is about 37 days shorter today than in the 1930s. Winter temperatures are warmer now, too. Shorter, warmer winters are causing more of our precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow and decreasing our average mountain snowpack. Many Utahns depend on that snowpack for water throughout the year.

  • A sign that says Heat Danger High Today stands alongside a desert road.

    Extreme Summer Heat

    Utah’s summers are getting hotter in many ways. Average daytime temperatures are increasing and so are the number of extremely hot days. Our nights are dramatically warmer, too. Extreme heat spikes and nights that don’t cool off have big impacts on the health of people and ecosystems. Heat waves are already deadlier than all other weather events in the United States.

  • The dry lakebed at Lake Powell.

    The water level at Lake Powell’s Lone Rock records the impacts of the West’s megadrought on the Colorado River. The white part
    of the rock was submerged when Lake Powell was at capacity in the 1980s.     Photo: Jonathan Manjeot, courtesy of Shutterstock.

    Megadrought

    The past two decades have been the driest in the last 1200 years across the Southwest. Hotter temperatures and lower winter snowpack caused by climate change turned a regular, cyclical drought into a megadrought. Parched soils and depleted reservoirs have taken a toll on Utah’s farms and ecosystems. As Utah’s population grows, allocating scarce water resources is posing difficult challenges.

  • Firefighters fight a brushfire.

    Wildland firefighters’ work is more difficult and dangerous due to the increase in extreme fire behavior and the year-round wildfire
    season caused by the changing climate.     Photo: Sobrevolando Patagonia, courtesy of Shutterstock.

    Smoky Summer Skies

    Wildfire smoke has become a common part of Utah summers and a frequent source of unhealthy air. Heat and drought are making the fire season last longer and increasing the average acreage burned annually across the West. Fires are more intense, too, posing greater threats to communities and firefighters. Intense fires also leave more severely damaged land in their wake.

  • A city street is flooded.

    Storm drains along the Wasatch Front can be easily overwhelmed by heavy rain, causing damage to homes and infrastructure. Photo: Dawn Renee Farkas Prasad, © NHMU

    Severe Storms and Flash Floods

    The ways the climate is changing can seem ironic. Rising temperatures are causing both drought and more intense rainstorms in Utah. Short, heavy bursts of rain can unleash flash floods that overwhelm stormwater systems and turn streets into rivers. Communities in southern Utah’s red-rock landscapes are particularly vulnerable. So are areas recently burned by wildfires.

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Heat and Health

Our Health Depends On Our Climate

A layer of smog sits over the Salt Lake Valley

Photo: salilbhatt, courtesy of Shutterstock

It can be easy to overlook the many ways our health is connected to our climate. As temperatures in Utah rise, we face more dangerous heat waves. A warmer climate is also causing a cascade of changes that worsen air and water quality, damage homes and infrastructure, and create favorable conditions for new diseases. These challenges are particularly hard on people with chronic health conditions and they can stress our mental well-being. Every bit of warming we prevent will be better for our health.

Feeling the Heat

This diagram shows some of the health challenges caused by Utah’s changing climate. Higher temperatures make the environmental health threats we already face more frequent and intense. Some threats, like wildfires and flash floods, are dangerous to the people directly in their paths and also have secondary impacts on broader community health, like poor air and water quality. Higher temperatures will lead to new health challenges as well, including the arrival of insect-borne diseases from warmer climates.

A diagram shoes various results from increasing temperatures in Utah

Infographic: Casey Clifford, © NHMU

A stethoscope and file with text "Our Climate Our Health" on a countertop

Our Climate, Our Health

Most people don't think about the changing climate when they visit their doctor, but the impacts of climate change will pose many health challenges for Utahns. 

Learn more
A man stands in the desert next to a tree.

Results Will Vary

The changing climate is impacting all of us, but it doesn’t affect everyone the same way. The risks we face vary depending on where we live, our job, our age, our health, our income, our community’s history, and many other factors.

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Next Step >>>

Now that we have an understanding of the impacts of climate change, both on our communities and our health, let's inspire hope by looking at solutions already being implemented here in Utah! Learn more in out our next section: Exploring Climate Change Solutions.